On 18 June Slovenia’s minister of foreign affairs, Samuel Zbogar, stated that Croatia will not complete its EU accession negotiations unless it raises the ban on the activity of the Slovenian bank, NLB (Nova Ljubljanska banka) on the…

The annual report of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) for 2009 was released 21 June this year on the topic of security threats for Germany. The head of the Ministry of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere,…

Mid-June saw the publication of a ranking of CO2 emitters among EU firms. The top places were taken by German firms – RWE and E.ON. Those firms are encountering considerable costs in purchasing carbon emission credits and…

Germany has set its own bilateral cooperation with partner countries in the east above the joint projects of the Eastern Partnership. In doing so, Berlin's guiding principle is that German money allocated for the projects on…

Russia’s probable intervention in Kyrgyzstan is likely to meet with the acceptance of world opinion. By stabilising the situation in that country, Moscow will pursue the expansion of its influence in Central Asia and the strengthening…

On 13 June, by a decree of President Dmitri Medvedev, the head of the federal agency for the provision of arms, equipment and materials (Rosoboronpostavka), Viktor Cherkesov, was fired. A month earlier, the agency he directed, which…

On 8 June, Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance received a US$2bn loan from the Russian bank Vneshtorgbank (VTB). The nature of the loan indicates that it will be used to support the Ukrainian budget. The loan has a favourable interest rate…

On 8 June, at a conference in Istanbul, Ukraine’s energy minister Yuri Boyko criticised Russian plans to build the South Stream gas pipeline, claiming that they strike at the national interests of Ukraine. Earlier, the government in…

The Bulgarian authorities are pointing to the possibility of withdrawing from important energy investments, in which Sofia's partner is Russia. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov has announced the withdrawal from the construction of the…